LOCAL NEWS: ODOT Offers Look at Innerbelt Bridge Progress

ODOT crews are working hard on the Innerbelt Bridge project. On Wednesday, crews offered a first look at their progress.

It was the first real chance to get up close to the project to see how far crews have come and how much further they have to go.

19 Action News was granted access to restricted spots underneath the new bridge deep in the industrial flats.

At peak times, 300 people have worked on the job and remains on budget at $290M.

The complex project is also being analyzed by engineers to ensure safety.

“A bridge that’s going to carry six lanes of traffic when we open it,” said Walsh Constructions spokesperson Kathie Ferroll. “Think about rush hour. You have bumper to bumper traffic on one side, and almost no body on the other side. Think about the forces on that bridge. So the bridge has to be very strong to withstand whatever forces are on it.”

There is also detail in the concrete piers. The concrete piers will be painted white, and there will be LED lights that will bounce off of them, so the piers can appear different colors.

Much of the concrete used is recycled – 63,000 pounds of it. That’s more than was used to build Cleveland Browns Stadium.